Grant Thiessen

making strangers into friends

had a great time today having a bible study with Damien down at SB. my new buddy. i met Damien at the AA meetings i've been going to on Wed. mornings down at the beach. i kinda hangout and pray with the group at the end then pass out my cards that on the back offer a free cup of SB if you'll meet me to hangout. Damien did and now he comes to church regularly and is wanting to win the world for Christ.... get into this folks... there's a lot of strangers out there waiting to befriended. 
 

Passion is growing

good times had by all at the GA...

I must say it was the most directional change i've ever seen at the GA in 20 years. I feel so excited at where God is guiding our church. I am humbled at the oportunity God provided for me to have a brief moment to share from the stage at the GA about the passion of church planting as American Missionaries. thanks to my friends Jesse and Bishop Williams for getting me there. I had some incredeble meetings with some other church planters from around the country as we brained stormed with Michael Knight about how to build a network of church planters by the hundreds around the country. I'm eager to get it going. even as I struggle to make it all work here in Huntington Beach, I know the plan is far bigger than I see..... I believe I might be related to Gideon.

g

"They're all Holy Rollers"

these are the videos from the last week of the "Urban Legends"  series. g

WEEK 2- URBAN LEGENDS...

debunking the spiritual myth, "Christians: They think they're better"

URBAN LEGENDS....is it really this way????

our first message in this series was called, "Christians are Mannequins"..just like in Jesus day a few crazy people did a few crazy things and the whole world view of God and his people was messed up.... my job last Sunday..to debunk this myth....

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sometimes just loving people with no added agenda is the most Christlike thing to do..

we love our community and thank God were able to be a part of what's going on....

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resembling Christ for the sake of Christ

1 Pet. 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ....... wow, now this is much more challenging than just going to church...

"Evangelism" - Big word, what does it even mean?

Today’s evangelism is about interaction in the community and marketplace. And regarding interaction with those outside the faith, it is primarily “Presence and Participation”.

·       When we can say of our efforts, “yeh, I’m meeting him again at….. or I’ve got his number in my phone……or he asked me about God, or church, or life today, and he brought it up…...”, then we’ve begun authentic, relevant discipleing. It’s not hard; it’s just costly to our time and insecurities.

funny how God does it

So I'm sittin there at my office, -starbucks on main street. just workin away on a video I was creating, when Chris, one of my Buddy's who works there came around the counter to clean the little bar. Chris is the skateboarder guy who always calls me preacher man as loud as he can when I come in. a litle awkward when there's 20 people in line. you might remember Chris is the guy who lost his two front teeth gettin crazy skating and one day he jokingly said, "man your church should buy a brother some new teeth". so we did just that. blew the guy away, so he asked, "why would you buy me teeth, I don't even go to your church", and I said, ....."because you needed them bra.(surfer slang for brother). anyway, he came around the corner and saw me and said, "preacher man, say a prayer for me". then he looked at some random person sitting across the room and said."he's a preacher, you should have him pray for you". she said, "really, I could really take some prayers right now". so I said I would love to, I'll be praying for both of you". Chris said, "ya got to love this guy". .....funny how God does it, isn't it....

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with passion or not at all

man it gets so easy to just get doing and going faster and faster with all to do. before you know it there's so much to do for God, there's just no time to meet with God. i guess that's how it happens. we must STOP. we must do life with passion. i don't mean passion in the stuff we're doing, even though i believe that of course. i mean we must have a PASSION for GOD first and foremost, and then do stuff. in fact usually it's my passion for God that spills over into whatever I'm doing. so to keep you from getting a pissy attitude in life,do what you do with passion for God, or not at all.